I began this blog in 2011. Can you guess the top search term that lands readers here? It is “lottery prayer that works.” That phrase has shown up within the top search terms literally every week of this blog’s existence. If that’s why you are here, then let me help you. Look at this awesome […]

Dating…it can be something of a challenge as we get older. Heck, it has always been a challenge for me. I’m at the point in my life where friends now start to tell me about their vacation plans years ahead of time. I’m invited to go…only if at that time I have someone to go with as well. That’s right, I have entered into a Couple Clause. *tick tock*

Has this happened to you?

I honestly didn’t know it had come to this. I had never, at 34 years old (thanks December birthday), thought of myself in this situation. Just like Tim Allen in The Santa Clause 2, I have been given an ultimatum. Although I may not be saving Christmas the sentiment is the same. I cannot pass go without marriage.

Why do other couples do this to their single friends? Has it been so long that they have forgotten what its like to date? Do they want so desperately to see their single friends married for some reason? Is it not possible to be single and Heaven forbid…happy?

I take this all into consideration when this is brought to my attention. Couples doing things. Couples going places. And I understand from a Couples perspective that it can be a bit odd having a Single friend there amongst all the pairs. It’s odd for me too!

The thing is, ALL people are single at some point in their lives. For some it is a little longer than others. And yes, there are those that choose to remain single for the rest of their time on this Earth. The point is to respect that, to cherish the time you can have with them before it all becomes about fitting one another into each others schedules.

God’s timing and plans are far greater than my own. It’s hard enough for me to understand it myself so please don’t make it any harder. Be patient with me, my time is coming and it will be better than anything I could have imagined.

There have been some changes going on in my life lately that I haven’t really known what to do with. Things I’m not yet ready to discuss and some things that I still have yet to work out. But God is doing a work in me. It has become ever more present this year and even more recently as I let go and let God take control of my life and the path that I have been holding onto so tightly.

The more I think I know what’s best for me the more I am shown I do not. God’s plan for me is so much better than my own. Every aspect of my life is on the verge of being turned upside down. And yah know what? I’m okay with that. I am going to embrace it.

I have so much to offer life and I haven’t been giving it or God my all. I don’t want to fall short anymore. There are plenty of times in my life I’ve failed, and from that failure I’ve learned and grown and moved forward. And there will be plenty more ahead of me but it’s not going to be for lack of trying.

It’s Valentine’s Day! Don’t get your panties in a wad just because you might have the day to yourself. Celebrate it! You are not alone! More women than you think don’t have a date on this day, and it is not just because no one asked. Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, need to stay at home watching sappy movies while eating chocolate and crying into your pillow. Get out there! Show yourself that you care about YOU.

Get a massage, go see a movie, hang with your girlfriends or whoever, stroll the downtown shops in your area or go a little farther and check out a new area. MOST importantly have fun, be good to yourself, and be kind to others! Its just another day in the week, in the month, in the year of your life. Don’t stress about it. You got this. Cause single is not just a status.

You’re thinking what the heck am I talking about?! Why would someone want to do that? Am believe me I’m with yah! I don’t know how many times I have been told that when it comes to dating and finding the right person that maybe my standards need to be lowered. Supposedly it will WIDEN the dating pool. Honestly though, is that the kind of dating pool I want?

Nope.

I think over the years I have been willing to negotiate and compromise when it comes to dating. I have always had an open mind. Except for the one thing that I really want in my life. A rancher/farmer/cowboy. It’s the lifestyle I love and want to be in. So why would I go for something else? Why would I compromise my happiness for something that doesn’t make sense?

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

There are days when I get ahead of myself and start thinking that I know what’s best for me. My plans, my way, my life. Yes, there are decisions I make on a daily basis that affect all of that. Yet, when I get ahead of myself and start trying to figure it all out because nothing is going according to plan, I forget whose plan it really is. God’s. He knows me better than anyone, even myself, and He knows what’s best for me. He strengthens me when I lose hope.

I know that some day everything will fall into place where it should be. Where God wants it to be. I’m not going to settle for less than what God wants for me because it is what I want for myself. It just takes a little reminder once in a while, like a silly little Facebook quiz asking questions to find out what my Bible verse is to knock on my head and soften my heart to God’s voice. To be reminded that He knows my call, He hears me, and He wants the best for me. It just may take a little more time than I had planned because He too wants it to be perfect, and doesn’t want me to settle for anything less than the best that He has planned for me.

We’ve all had a Plan A. It starts out in what we think is something we want and goes from there. However, Plan A doesn’t always work out, then what? We make another plan, and another hoping that at some point the right plan will come along and everything will work out.

So what makes up a plan? What makes a plan work? Simple answer? You. A plan doesn’t exist without you. So who’s to say you need to keep going through plan after plan that doesn’t seem to work? If it’s your plan, you have the right to change it. Things happen, people change, so change the plan along with it. Adapt. And just because you have a plan, whether it’s about your career goals, personal goals, or love life remember that the only one besides you that has a say in the outcome is God.

And if you’re not on track with Him…chances are the plans you have are not right for you anyway.

I’ve gone through many years before this, my 32nd year, and each one it always seems as if I make commitments to myself that I don’t stick to. Not because they were meaningless but because I never fully put myself into them. I didn’t give those commitments the commitment they deserved. Tasking myself can sometimes be more difficult than tasking others. I’ve become good at putting things off by busying myself with other things that don’t pertain to me but others.

I know it doesn’t sound completely awful when you think about it. But for me? It is. For anyone like me, it is. Why? It means that we’re not taking care of ourselves. To be able to help others, you have to take care of yourself first. And that’s what I plan on doing this year.

I got a FitBit. A new devotional. And a plan.

It’s time to make this 32nd year of my life count for me. Not to depend on others to do it for me by waiting on it to come my way but by making it happen. To stop standing in my own way. There is going to be some major construction ahead and with the right tools, I think I’m going to be just fine.

What does this mean? A bunch of resolutions going on. People all over the place are trying to start something new for the New Year. Will they stick to it? Who knows, but it’s not about the defeat or victory on whether or not the follow through happens and something good or bad comes out of it, it’s the journey. It’s the sticky in-between of everything and anything that can happen and making it through.

Change can’t happen without making a first step. Whatever that first step is, whether it’s a mistake or not, take it. Be the change you want to see.

You’ve got this.

]]>https://noreinsdating.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/cheers-to-the-new-year/feed/0blueyedflickaHappy-New-Year-CopyPlease Leave A Messagehttps://noreinsdating.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/please-leave-a-message/
https://noreinsdating.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/please-leave-a-message/#commentsMon, 29 Sep 2014 07:39:01 +0000http://noreinsdating.wordpress.com/?p=931I did it. I made the call. Can’t believe that I actually made the call. And as I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer I got his voicemail. And left a message that I stumbled my way through. Cold, stuffed nose, and all I still left the message. Lord help me.

And now I wait…and try not to let my head get to filled with doubt in-between.